Difference between cPanel user and WEB SERVER user

[dcaping]

After having installed a fresh clean copy of vanilla WP, when attempting to add plugins, page prompted FTP info. This was resolved changing the owner of folder (chown command) where WP was installed from the cPanel user to the web server user (i.e. 'nobody' in CentOS). Now the files cannot be seen in cPanel. I either cannot execute WP correctly (because files don't belong to WEB PLATFORM) or cannot see files in cPanel because files don't belong to cPanel user. I wonder what everyone else does to have a standard environment where files can be seen in cPanel, and WP runs smoothly.

I have a VPS with WHM+cPanel license and full access to terminal

Env. info:
nvtype ; grep CPANEL= /etc/cpupdate.conf
/etc/redhat-release:CentOS Linux release 7.7.1908 (Core)
/usr/local/cpanel/version:11.84.0.19
/var/cpanel/envtype:kvm
CPANEL=release

 

[dcaping]

Addtionally, I wouldn't be able to assign the cPanel user to be the WEB SERVER user since there will be more than one cPanel user/account

 

[cPanelLauren]

All files/folders within public_html should be owned by the cPanel user. There are a few threads that discuss ownership/permissions that are standard, you might take a look at the following: Folder Permission 755 and File Permission 644 safe ?